Bobby Abreu

Profile: Abreu is clearly in the twilight on his career, and the sun could finally set in 2012. With Albert Pujols now taking up Mark Trumbo’s old spot in the Halos lineup, Abreu could be the odd man out should the team choose to go with a slightly more defense-friendly lineup featuring Albert Callaspo at third base. Abreu still knows how to get on base, but at this point in his career, that’s all he can really do. If you think the veteran will get 400 at bats and you need an OBP specialist for some reason or another, Abreu should still be available on the waiver wire, so you won’t need to spend a draft pick on him. (Zach Sanders)

Quick Opinion: With Albert Pujols now taking up Mark Trumbo’s old spot in the Halos lineup, Abreu could be the odd man out. At this point, Abreu is just an OBP specialist who should find a comfortable spot on the waiver wire.

Read the rest of this entry »

Chase D’Arnaud

Profile: D’Arnaud is a high-percentage base thief and bears a passing resemblance to a young George Clooney, so he’s got that going for him. But alas, his bat is more Men Who Stare at Goats-worthy than Ocean’s Eleven-caliber. He’ll see meaningful playing time only if he can pull an inside job and lock Clint Barmes in a clubhouse stall. (David Golebiewski)

Read the rest of this entry »

Travis Hafner

Profile: The Pronk of 2004-2006 is gone, but Hafner is re-establishing himself as a viable utility play — when healthy. Last year, the Indians DH hit .280/.361/.449 and added 13 home runs in just 94 games. He’ll likely find himself hitting in the middle of the lineup in 2012, giving him a chance to put up some big RBI numbers, particularly if Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore, two of the players likely to hit in front of him, can stay healthy and get on base. Expecting much more than 100 games is not advised, and his lack of positional eligibility severely limits his value, but Hafner is useful if you use him correctly, particularly against righties. In 2011, he hit over .300 vs right-handers, with a .180 ISO. He probably isn’t destined to be your everyday Util, but as part of a platoon, or as a bench option, particularly in deeper leagues, he is worth owning. (Chad Young)

Quick Opinion: He may not be the all-world hitter he was a few years back, but Hafner has re-established himself as a solid designated hitter. Particularly if you can play him only against righties, you can expect a high average, solid power, and decent RBI numbers.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mitch Maier

Profile: Mitch “MITCH” Maier is a favorite among some circles of Royals internet fandom, but do not mistake comedy and parody for fantasy potential. Maier is a servicable fourth outfielder in the Major Leagues, but he really does not walk that much (careful with that 2011 sample size!), has little power, and does not hit for average. Oh, and he only got 113 plate appearances in 2011 despite spending the whole year on the the Major League roster. Assuming the Royals do not find a better or cheaper bench option between now and Opening Day, he might see more time if someone gets hurt or if Lorenzo Cain completely bombs (a distinct possibility), but even then MITCH or someone roughly equivalent should be available on waivers. (Matt Klaasen)

Quick Opinion: Incredibly, Mitch Maier may still be on the Royals’ roster as a reserve outfielder in 2012. He should not be on yours.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Profile: It was a strange season for Saltalamacchia. In April and September, his OPS was below .600 but it averaged .835 for the four months in between. That OPS is buoyed by a high slugging percentage, seeing as he walked just 6.2 percent of the time. Also, among catchers with a minimum of 300 plate appearances his .215 isolated slugging percentage ranked fourth. He’ll likely still receive the majority of time behind the plate in 2012, but may be platooned more with newly acquired Kelly Shoppach. He’s never hit left-handed pitching particularly well, despite switch-hitting. He’s not among the top fantasy catchers, but should provide a solid back-up option with 15-20 home run power. (Erik Hahmann)

Quick Opinion: Salty’s main obstacle will be playing time. Expect him to top out around ~100 games and ~325 plate appearances. The power is very real, with a 20 home run season a real possibility.

Read the rest of this entry »

Alfredo Aceves

Profile: Aceves was a great find for the Boston Red Sox as he very much served as handy adhesive when pieces were falling off all over the Red Sox staff. Aceves gave them 114 innings of work, mostly in relief, but also four spot starts, posting a 2.61 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 6.32 strikeout rate. He benefited somewhat by a high strand rate and low home run rate, reflected in part in his 4.77 xFIP, but Aceves produced good results nonetheless. There’s some rumor of his joining the rotation in 2012, but that seems unlikely given his peripherals and pedigree. Aceves enters 2012 as a likely decent source of holds, and a dual-eligibility pitcher, but little more. (Michael Barr)

Quick Opinion: Unless he joins the rotation, Aceves will have limited value as a sixth and seventh inning option and occasional emergency starter unless you’re in a holds league — and even then, don’t do somersaults when you draft him.

Read the rest of this entry »

Armando Galarraga

Profile: After faring poorly over eight starts with the Diamondbacks, Galarraga was banished to Triple-A, where he posted a gruesome 9.26 ERA in 23.1 innings. With poor strikeout ability and below average control, one wonders how he managed to rack up over 500 big league innings to begin with. Heck, he has even been a fly ball pitcher throughout his career, so it is difficult to even find one positive in his profile. His swinging strike rate does suggest a higher strikeout rate, though even a league average rate won’t be enough to make him useful. If he does manage to find his way back to the majors, make sure he stays far away from your fantasy team. (Mike Podhorzer)

Quick Opinion: Without a Major League role and weak skills to begin with, it is safe to avoid Galarraga. Even if flashes of his near no-hitter come to mind, do your best to ignore him.

Read the rest of this entry »

Darren O’Day

Profile: The rare side-arming righty that doesn’t get totally crushed by lefties, O’Day could see significant high leverage work with the Orioles if Jim Johnson manages to stick in the rotation. He’s got some sneaky good holds potential. (Mike Axisa)

Read the rest of this entry »

Yoennis Cespedes

Profile: Cespedes has some great tools that scouts look for in an incoming prospect. He’s got power, speed, and decent defensive ability (if he moves to the corner outfield). Problem is, Cespedes is already 26 years old, so he’ll need to contribute almost immediately to make his probably massive contract worthwhile. The prevailing thought is that the Cuban import may need just a couple of months in the minors to get back in the swing of things before making his way to the big time. It’s hard to put a faithful projection together for a player with no MLB or MiLB experience, but owners could expect double-digit homers and steals, but his batting average may not be higher than .260. Hopefully, for whatever team signs him, Cespedes will be better known for his play on the field then the videos his marketing team comprised of 15-year-olds produced. (Zach Sanders)

Quick Opinion: Cespedes is going to get some hype when he debuts, but he’s not going to be a fantasy superstar. He’s a better pick in keeper leagues where you can afford to wait a year and give him an adjustment period.

Read the rest of this entry »

After getting mostly ignored by the Baseball Writer’s Association of America, Ron Santo was finally elected to the baseball Hall of Fame by the veteran’s committee this summer. Santo’s enshrinement was a victory for those who had championed his case for years, and suggested that perhaps even the folks in Cooperstown were coming around to the growing appreciation for the value of defense at the offensive-oriented corner positions. Just a few months after his election, however, several clubs have apparently decided that quality defense at third base is a luxury item after all.

The Tigers have gotten the most coverage for their decision to move Miguel Cabrera back across the diamond to a position he was deemed too big to play back in 2008. However, the Angels are also toying with the idea of giving first baseman Mark Trumbo some playing time at the hot corner after he was displaced by the signing of Albert Pujols, and the Marlins acquisition of Jose Reyes means that Hanley Ramirez – never known for his focus on defense to begin with – will grudgingly move over to third base. In all three cases, a team with hopes of contention in 2012 is showing some willingness to sacrifice glove work at third base in order to upgrade their offense. There’s no doubt that Pujols, Fielder, and Reyes will help their new teams win more games, but just how bad might we expect the new third baseman to be, and would these teams just be better off abandoning the experiment and finding another way to get those bats in the line-up?

Read the rest of this entry »